Police: Ex-UC Riverside Student Made Commencement Threats To Dupe Mom, Hurt People

Friday, June 22nd 2007, 4:03 pm

By: News On 6

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) _ Police say a man made a bomb and sent threats that scuttled plans for a graduation ceremony because he didn't want his mother to realize he had dropped out of college.

But an affidavit filed in court this week also alleges that Audley Yung intended to hurt people.

Audley Yung told his mother that he was scheduled to graduate from University of California, Riverside, last weekend and she planned to drive from Northern California to attend, according to the affidavit.

Yung, 22, attended the university as recently as last summer but did not have enough credits to graduate.

The affidavit said Yung admitted sending a letter and two e-mails to university officials threatening to set off several improvised explosive devices during a commencement planned for June 15. The document also said Yung admitted building a bomb using a wine bottle and gasoline, placing it next to a palm tree on campus, dousing the tree with gasoline and setting it on fire.

A business administration graduation ceremony and some final exams were rescheduled because of the scare.

Yung hoped university officials would cancel the weekend graduation ceremonies, giving him an excuse not to attend. ``Then his mother would return home and everything would be as it once was,'' police Detective Jessie Orona said in the affidavit.

Orona also said Yung's ``true mind set was to injure or otherwise harm innocent people.'' Investigators searched Yung's apartment and discovered a letter he had allegedly written stating his hatred of all rich white and Chinese kids, and that he was going to kill them all, court records show.

Yung was arrested June 16 and charged with six felony counts, including possession of a destructive device, arson, and making criminal threats. He posted $50,000 bail and was released from custody; his first court appearance is set for July 18.

``All of this is a very sad story, which will be told soon,'' his attorney, Steve Harmon, told The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise on Wednesday.